Reviews

i remember being pumped up about seeing the original cast of mike and jody returning to the phantasm series but being just as dissapointed with this 3rd installment.for one you have too many villains to deal with.it's not just the TALL MAN but these hoodlums which eventually turn into zombies working for the tall man.the TALL MAN doesn't need any more people helping him other than those dwarfs and it just takes away from his character.the spheres are back and just as impressive but this film is just a liitle too campy and does not satisfy your loyal phanatics like myself.the little boy character was a nice addition so he could tag along with reggie and help our hero, but the rocky character should have been left out.it is somewhat humorous watching reggie trying to snag her throughout the flick.good special effects for a low-budget movie and somewhat entertaining but not containing any real suspense and that weirdness factor if you will that the first one had and the second one had as well.definately the weakest in the series but does get you ready for the fourth one {OBLIVION}which is considerably better. by the way from the second to the third film i notice that reggie has been forking out some major cash without having any kind of job, i guess a retired ice cream vendor could have some kind of stash hidden away for retirement.

the original was shot in black and white and was way more creepy and suspenseful than this one.mr carpenter no more remakes.you have said that you did some movies just to receive a paycheck, well i think this was one of them.the acting is terribly stale and do we really need to see kirstie alley sucking on a butte nearly 90% of the time she is on the screen?this movie does have it's moments but they are so few and far between that i cannot fully endorse this picture.the children do a nice job and are quite convincing but the overall view of this is to say that carpenter needs to not go back and remake one of his favorite old movies.it worked with the thing but not here.

picks up right where the first ends.better spheres, more effects,and lots of ammo.this one has our beloved ice cream vendor {REGGIE} turning into a kick-ass soldier.this movie doesn't have quite the weirdness , if you will, of the first movie but it does have some rather suspenseful and creepy moments.the dialogue is a little weak sometimes {COME ON YOU MOTHU!!}but also has some humorous ones {OH REGGIE I LOVE YOUR HEAD}.james lee gross does a nice job as the now older mike and the tall man is his usual creepy self but the real stars are the flying balls which are more dangerous than ever here.great b-movie entertainment that does not take itself too seriously.it's just a dream....NO IT'S NOT!

i remember watching this as a kid one night on hbo back when hbo was not 24 hrs a day and around midnight they would show their last movie and back in 1980 they would show this.it was like watching a strange and eerie dream.this movie is part horror,and part fantasy.angus scrimm as the tall man is clearly the star of the show even though he has so few lines.that is what makes the movie work. the rest of the cast does an ample job but the director showcases THE TALL MAN so well that he doesn't need to say much at all.the movie is creepy and spooky but is also interjected with some humorous moments as well.some people think that the script is full of more holes than a bad slice of swiss cheese because they think that things are not explained well enough or there is still some questions that need to be answered, but there in lays the beauty of this film. some things are not to be understood and everything is not cohesive.i just think that the director did a great job on a tiny budget {around 300,000}and got a great return .by the way the dvd special edition that is out absolutely SMOKES.the sound and picture have been restored excellently and there are so many extra features and deleted footage and trailers that i have to give it up to the people at MGM who did not fall asleep at the wheel when they put this together.

i watch this about every 2 months or so just because it is so fun and entertaining.james woods one-liners when he is describing vampires to the priest{it's not like they are a bunch of fags walking around with these cheesy euro-trash accents}. woods does a good job , sheryl lee is the hot looking prostitute, and baldwin as the sidekick.the effects are done the old-fashioned way FOR REAL which is nice . sometimes i get tired of seeing all of the digitized effects on movies today so carpenter gets a thumbs up on this even though they might be a little over the top.so all in all great one-liners,great special effects,great action,great cinematography,great music score.by the way don't waste your time with vampires 2 it is an absolute piece of trash.`

yes i just watched this on dvd again and came away with a better appreciation of it than i had before.I'm a big carpenter fan and had not had this film even the top 10 of any of his films.But this is more of a movie that gets you to think a little about what carpenter wants you to realize rather than a movie that is just simply going to entertain you,and from that perspective i think that carpenter does a good enough job here.One thing that should be noted is that part of the premise of the movie is that the aliens are trying to somehow get us to sleep and have little or no emotion and basically try to lull us into a coma like state.Watching the movie and listening to the movie score really does make you feel that way as well. Yes there are parts here that slows the movie down but it does have it's more suspenseful moments also.My choice would have been to put Kurt Russell in the lead role and teamed up with Keith David just like in The Thing.It is a movie that is very thought provoking rather than just pure entertainment.By the way this was the second low-budget film that carpenter was to do for Universal{the first was Prince of Darkness}and after this carpenter would take a break from directiing and not re-surface again until Memoirs of an Invisible Man.

I can see why there is going to be a comic book adventure written about the the tales of snake plisken.That is what this story was meant for.Now it is also great as a movie adventure as well.This movie is made in much of the same way as the Batman movies and all of the comic book heroes which you have seen on the screen.If you look at this movie from this perception you can realize that yes this is a pretty good damn movie!Cheesy, yes, but well worth it.I am a huge Carpenter fan and for the most part have regarded this film as fluff,but after seeing several times on dvd i realize thst this is basically a great weekend afternoon popcorn movie that should be based off of a comic book hero!!Go Snake!!

Given the fact that this was done in 1976 on a slim budget and really was John Carpenters' first film{let's face it Dark Star was intended as a student film}then this is really a great film and would propel Carpenter to greater things.By todays' standards it might seem a little flat in some areas but the payout on the suspense and action of the film is well worth it.One thing that needs to be noted is the excellent pounding musical score which just adds to the overall make-up of the picture and keeps things interesting{so watch the bass level on your system}.The dvd is excellent and even the widescreen vhs comes through great,like it was recorded straight from a laserdisc version.

HBO movie that was shown on their network and also shown in theatres{at least in my area}.From the outset i think the story was both intriguing and thought provoking.Treat Williams does an excellent job as the disgruntled border patrol agent who is so fed up things that anything will set him off.The desert scenes were shot very well and the music from Tangerine Dream just goes exceptionally well throughout the picture.My only complaint is with the editing off the movie which was a few holes but i will give first-time director William Tannen a break there.Great ensemble of cast including Rip Torn who never dissapoints.The movie is peppered here and there with some pretty humorous moments which just add to the enjoyment of the film.I had been waiting for a dvd version to come out but i gave up recently and got the new vhs version which wasn't too bad.

and the reason john carpenter was executive producer was he was working on this film but could not quite get it finished like he wanted to so he did STARMAN{which by the way is similar to this move}and gave the directorial role to someone else.this was the only reason why i had an interst in this was because john carpenter was involved.this is almost like starman meets back to the future.this movie was fun to watch however the dialogue is pretty weak at some points.the effects were good and as a whole the film was moved along fairly smooth.michael pare would have role{small one} in village of the damned in '95.

well i went to see this when it came out in the theatre with some friends and they wanted to leave halfway through the movie because of the absolute dragging on of the set-up of the story.well i left with them always wondering what happened in the second half.i rented the dvd when it was released and wished i had stayed the first time to watch the entire picture.i have since bought the dvd and watched the special features[which has the some behind the scenes footage,special effects,and making of the soundtrack]which include the commentary by mr carpenter himself and his lovely star natasha.carpenter explains that he had a real hard time with the first part of the movie.he wanted to get things moving along but he was also trying to develop the characters and set up the movie as well.the flashback scenes were really wearing me out though and this is not shot like a typical carpenter movie.carpenter has always been a master in creating and building up suspense but,it doesn't quite work in this movie.it would have helped if the dialogue had been a little more interesting but it is pretty straight-forward stuff.when we finally get to the action sequences carpenter himself says in the commentary"FINALLY INTO THE ACTION PHASES".even carpenter was really ready for the action pick up.the fight scenes are top-notch and the special effects get kicked into high gear during this second half of the movie.also there is some pretty funny humor during this time which seems to work.during the commentary carpenter keeps heaping praise on his lovely star ms natasha.she does do a good job and considering the fact that she was a last minute addition to the cast{only one week before filming}her performance is worthy of praise.one thing to keep in mind DO NOT TAKE THIS FILM SO SERIOUSLY.this is something that carpenter told his cast and should be told to viewers.yeh it's a little monotonous during the early stages but the payout later is worth it.not carpenters' best movie or worst.village of the damned i thought was his poorest but i have since changed that because like this movie it grows on you.

considering that this film was done in 1974,made for 60,000 big ones and originally a student film for first-timer carpenter it's not that bad.put in the dvd,watch the special edition version{only an hour long} and chill out.i rarely watch it but it is part of my carpenter collection.

Let me first say that i am a huge carpenter fan and have seen everything from Dark Star to Ghosts of Mars,and this film is both chilling and haunting.This was to be carpenters' 1st of a scheduled 3 low-budget films that he was to do for Universal{he only did 2 this one and They LIve}But low-budget films are Mr. Carpenters' forte.This is where he thrives and seems to be his most creative.Martin Quartermass wrote this{AKA John Carpenter}and deals deeply with things that are seen and not seen,understood and not understood.Donald Pleasance gives a strong performance and i also liked Victor Wong, but Jameson Parker seems a little out of his league in his role but does an adequate job.I loved Dennis Dun in Big Trouble In Little China and he does a nice job here also and i am all for a little humor now and then during some tense situations but his comments are sometimes a little irritating and seem out of place.The film as a whole is moody and creepy the musical score keeps things that way.Not my favorite or my least favorite carpenter film,but fun to watch Alice Cooper use that bike as a pitch fork!

Let me first say that i am a huge carpenter fan and have seen everything from Dark Star to Ghosts of Mars,and this film is both chilling and haunting.This was to be carpenters' 1st of a scheduled 3 low-budget films that he was to do for Universal{he only did 2 this one and They LIve}But low-budget films are Mr. Carpenters' forte.This is where he thrives and seems to be his most creative.Martin Quartermass wrote this{AKA John Carpenter}and deals deeply with things that are seen and not seen,understood and not understood.Donald Pleasance gives a strong performance and i also liked Victor Wong, but Jameson Parker seems a little out of his league in his role but does an adequate job.I loved Dennis Dun in Big Trouble In Little China and he does a nice job here also and i am all for a little humor now and then during some tense situations but his comments are sometimes a little irritating and seem out of place.The film as a whole is moody and creepy the musical score keeps things that way.Not my favorite or my least favorite carpenter film,but fun to watch Alice Cooper